Milwaukee Specialty Food and Coffee

Movies: The 11th Hour

I bet Al Gore was just chompin' at the bit to send out an e-mail saying, "My friend Leonardo DiCaprio. . ."  Must be nice!

Snapshot: California Pizza Kitchen Serves Lavazza Espresso

Today, I had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen for my Dad's birthday, and the only remarkable part of the experience was the espresso!  I'd had two cups of drip coffee—which was frankly shitty, especially at $1.95 per cup—with dinner.  Instead of dessert, I opted for espresso, and was not expecting much.  Lo and behold, here comes a Lavazza demitasse with a nicely pulled shot (I think it was technically a double, though I'd only ordered a single).  It had decent crema and came with a lemon zest on the side (though I didn't use it). 

It was the best espresso I've had away from home all year.  I think the real clincher was that I didn't feel the need to have a drink of water to rinse my mouth immediately afterwards.  I would imagine they would have to have a super-automatic, so Lavazza must make those. . .I surveyed the staff (who outnumbered the customers, but we were there early) and not one looked remotely barista-y.

OT: Got time?

There are Internet sites that just beg you to waste gobs of time on them...and then there's this one.

(Might want to set your alarm clock first for when it's time to go to work, feed the baby, etc.)

Links: You Fill Enjoy It

I know there's a more professional and permanent way to put favorite links on one's blog, but I can't be arsed to figure it out right now.  So, in no particular order:

tonx.org

Zachary Zachary

Cafe Evoke

Snapshot: Mugging at Whitefish Bay Starbucks?

Those who are conversant with weblogs may know that in my TypePad "Control Panel/Stats", I have the ability to view an almost creepy amount of information about who is viewing this blog and where they came from—none of it, however, personally identifiable!  For instance, if you find this site by doing a Google search for "whitefish bay wisconsin mugging at starbucks", I will be able to see that, and actually see the very page of results you were given.  Well, this evening, someone did that exact search.

Of course, I can't present Google searches as news.  There is no substantiation whatsoever.  Still, this certainly is a valuable way for me to keep my finger on the pulse of things.

OT: Orbitz Cheaper Than CheapTickets?

Sorry for all the off topic posts lately!  I've created a correspondingly named page which, from now on, will serve as a kind of limbo for all OT posts a couple days after being posted.  Hopefully, that will help to keep the site better organized.

I just purchased my ticket to Düsseldorf for my trip from October 26-November 2.  It'll be a fun little trip with a stop for a cuppa (coffee!) at London Heathrow on the way back.  Curiously, Orbitz seems to be considerably cheaper than CheapTickets (in this instance, $629 vs. $489).  If you're interested in the correspondence, read on.

Current Affairs: Second Life? No Thanks, I'm Too Busy With My First

I read a prediction in a recent issue of Time magazine that almost all American Internet users will be involved in Second Life or some other form of virtual reality by the year 2011, not altogether far off.  Not this one!  The article woke me up to the Internet activities I do partake in that approach a sort of VR, LiveJournal being the first that comes to mind.  Most LiveJournal users are cloaked behind cryptic usernames and fanciful avatars.  However, almost every LJ post indicates the user's mood at the time of posting (this has now also been imitated on MySpace).  Hmmm—I guess the first thing that comes to my mind is that if I don't know who you are, why do I care what your mood is?  Seems rather narcissistic to me, which is why I selected TypePad for this blog.

Specialty Coffee Drinks: Dirty Hippie

My drink of the summer has been a "Dirty Chai," a chai latte with a shot or two of espresso thrown in and served occasionally hot, but most often iced.  I favor Tazo Chai Concentrate over Oregon Chai—I think the Tazo has a much more interesting, spicier taste, and is also available more cheaply (Pick 'N Save has it for three dollars and something, while I've never seen Oregon for less than $4).  Another name for the Dirty Chai is a "Dirty Hippie," which has kind of a delicious irony to it, given that I'm probably the squarest guy within six blocks of Brady Street!

Another interesting use for chai concentrate is to add just a little to coffee (especially with milk or cream) rather than your regular sweetener.

Music: Some Music You Wouldn't Hear of Otherwise

To me, iTunes is the greatest thing since sliced bread.  It makes it easy to enjoy great music that you otherwise would never, ever hear about.  Here's what's been burning up my iPod lately.

German Gen-Xers Juli (here's their MySpace; they also have several videos on MySpace TV) are the sort of mainstream rock act the U.S. scene is so desperately missing.  Forget all your preconceptions about "Major Tom," "99 Luftballons" etc.  The lyrics are in German—but, let's face it, unless you listen to nothing but Sarah McLachlan , you probably don't understand the lyrics of half the stuff you listen to anyway.  Lead singer Eva Briegel's vocals are light and airy, and the music has a bouncy, decidedly non-Germanic quality to it.  I actually discovered this act not through my German connections, but through a Live Earth sampler on iTunes (Juli was one of the headliners of the German Live Earth concert).  Perhaps for this reason, their entire latest album is available for purchase on U.S. iTunes.  Also, they've recorded a single, "Stolen," with Dashboard Confessional.

Editorial: They Vant to Suck Your Blood. Let Them!

A couple months ago, I gave blood for the first time at a special drive held at my church.  Apparently, they liked what I had to offer, as my cell phone started getting robocalls from the Blood Center as soon as I became eligible again.  It's not often these days that my phone rings with someone wanting my bodily fluids, so I was only too happy to oblige.

If, like me, you've hesitated due to the possible discomfort of giving blood, don't.  The staff is much more skilled in finding and accessing veins than that of the butcher shop where I grew up going to the doctor, Milwaukee Medical Clinic (now known as Advanced Healthcare).  Since it was only my second time and I had a full day ahead of me, I declined their request for dual red and just gave regular whole blood.  The donation was even more effortless than the first—I found the refreshment stop in the cafeteria afterwards unnecessary, but enjoyed the free, serviceable coffee and trail mix anyway.  A sign was posted saying the baked goods were from Panera (but not the coffee, alas); I had a bagel that tasted like it was from there.